Fumio Morooka of WFDF elected as IWGA Executive Committee member

In Official Communication, Press Release * Official Communication by WFDF

The International World Games (IWGA) Annual General Meeting in Belek, Turkey, has elected WFDF Board member Fumio Morooka as member of its Executive Committee. Mr. Morooka was elected by the assembly to serve a four year term until 2018. During the same meeting, José Perurena Lopez (ICF – Canoeing) was elected as IWGA President, succeeding Ron Froehlich who had held the post for the last two dozen years. The balance of the Executive Committee of IWGA will consist of Max Bishop (FAI – Aeronautics) as Vice-President, Lukas Hinder (IDSF – Dance Sport) as Treasurer, and Board members Anna Arzhanova (CIMS – Subaquatics) and Tom Dielen (WA – World Archery).

Fumio Morooka is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education at the Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan and has been involved in Flying Disc sports since 1980. Among many roles, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the World Flying Disc Federation since 1992 and has organized two WFDF World Championships. Morooka has also been President of the Japan Flying Disc Association since 2009. In the broader world of sport he is currently serving as Executive Director of the Japan World Games Association after working with them since 1985.  Morooka worked to bring the World Games in 2001 to Akita, Japan, and was both the Executive Director of the event and Technical Director for flying disc sports there, gaining valuable experience on the sporting event side of IWGA’s work.  Mr. Morooka has also previously served as a member of the SportAccord Council and recently worked as a consultant with the Japan Olympic Committee in its successful bid for the Olympic Summer Games 2020.

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Fumio Morooka in Belek, Turkey, at the Sportaccord convention 2014.

“I am pleased in the confidence and trust demonstrated by the IWGA membership with this vote for Moro as IWGA Executive Committee member,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “From his administrative roles through the practical side as a World Games competition organizer, everyone could see that Moro’s roots with the World Games go very deep and I am sure that he will greatly contribute to the IWGA’s development over the next cycle, which will include the 2017 edition of the World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.  Moro has been an incredible ambassador for WFDF within the global sports movement since the 1990s, having attended every SportAccord/GAISF general assembly since 1994 and developing many deep relationships within the Olympic Movement over this time.”  Rauch continued “Separately, we also wish to thank and recognize Ron Froehlich for his many years of service and contributions in making the World Games what it is today.”

Founded in 1981, the International World Games Association (IWGA) is a non-governmental and non-profit-making international organization constituted under Swiss law. Currently comprised of International Sports Federations, it administers a quadrennial and multidisciplinary sports event, The World Games, showcasing sports that are not a part of the Olympic program.  After the latest edition of the World Games held in Cali, Colombia in 2013, the USA Flying Disc Team was named IWGA “team of the year.”